Thank you for visiting the donation page of the Medical Debt Eradicators! My name is Amy Zhang and my vision to reduce debt in my community was developed while volunteering at a local hospital during my summers. The patients I served included young children and veterans, and while patients appreciated the hospital, it was always mentioned that current medical services and treatments were becoming much more costly and forced patients to go into serious debt. I then realized that by reducing and alleviating medical debt, we would be able to nurture and unearth potential that would lead to improvements in our district. 

After my experiences at the hospital, medical debt had become something I am now focused on reducing in my community. I created a project called the Medical Debt Eradicators and working with the non-profit organization, RIP Medical Debt, my goal is to eradicate the medical debt in my county. In this way, I hope to give back to my community by helping remove an inhibitor of success: medical debt.

My current mission is to eradicate the $1.4 million of medical debt in Escambia County by fundraising $15,000.

How RIP works: RIP Medical Debt uses your donations to purchase bundled medical debt portfolios on the secondary debt market, and then forgives that debt at pennies on the dollar. 

On average, $1 is leveraged to abolish $100 in medical debt, and every donation through this page will be spent directly on abolishing medical debt in Escambia County.

When debt relief recipients open the yellow envelope from RIP, they are told that their debt has been bought by a third party and erased with no strings attached. They owe nothing on the debt and face no tax penalty. A recent beneficiary wrote to us, saying:

"I read my letter over a few times to make sure it was the real thing. Receiving this debt relief renewed my faith that I can get back on track. It jump-started it – that we can do this – I can get back in the game! It's unheard of what RIP does, and it's a game changer in the medical world. It's a game changer for me.” 
    — Reagan, RIP Medical Debt Recipient of Debt Relief

Join the movement to abolish $1 billion in medical debt by 2020: Every dollar you contribute is a $100 investment in Escambia County. Money will stay in the community instead of being taken by out-of-state debt collectors. On average, $15.40 can abolish the medical debt of an entire family in Florida, allowing them to invest in a home, schooling, or retirement.

Who We Are: RIP Medical Debt is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that locates, buys, and forgives medical debt. We empower donors to relieve oppressive medical debt in their community for individuals who are below twice the federal poverty line, have debts greater than their assets, or have debts greater than 5% of their annual income.

RIP Medical Debt is unique in its expertise but needs continued support from generous donors. Compassion drives the work of RIP Medical Debt and every dollar is highly leveraged with a ROI of 100:1. Let’s abolish medical debt in Florida together. For good.

Please see the rest of the FAQ below and visit www.ripmedicaldebt.org for more information. 

Facts about Medical Debt

• More than $100 billion in unpaid medical debt every year adversely impacts debtor patients, physicians, and hospitals.
• 6 in 10 of both insured and uninsured people say they have difficulty in paying other bills as a result of medical debt. Over a third were unable to pay for food, heat, or housing because of medical bills.
• Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults under age 65, or 116 million people, had medical bill problems or debt, went without needed care because of cost, were uninsured for a time, or were underinsured—insured but had high out-of-pocket medical expenses or deductibles relative to income.
• Medical debt contributes to more than 60% of the bankruptcies in the US. Until satisfied, debt lingers on a person’s credit report, negatively impacting their ability to buy a home, get a loan, or even gain employment.

Whose unpayable medical bills does RIP forgive?

• Individuals who make less than 2 times the federal poverty level.
• Individuals who face financial hardship—owe debt that is 5% or more of their annual income.
• Individuals who are insolvent—have debts greater than their assets.

Why donate to RIP Medical Debt?

• Your dollar goes a long way! On average, $1 abolishes $100 of debt.
• 100 percent of your donation through this form goes towards abolishing medical debt in Escambia County.
• RIP Medical Debt is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and our EIN number is 47-1442997. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
• There are no tax consequences for those whose medical debts are forgiven. The forgiveness is a gift from a detached and disinterested third party (RIP Medical Debt), so forgiveness of the debt does not count as income for the gift recipient.

RIP Medical Debt's Federal Tax ID: 47-1442997